The Renaissance—a term that means rebirth—is the period in European history marked by a renewed interest in classical scholarship and art forms that had been forsaken by much of society during the Middle Ages. Along with the rediscovery of ancient knowledge came changes in class structure, government, and trade.

The Renaissance began in Italy in approximately 1300 and gradually spread to central and northern Europe and England during the next 350 years. However, historians typically define the period not in terms of strict dates but in terms of changes in social relations, economics, and thought. Historian Kenneth Atchity explains that many consider the Renaissance to represent "a sharp break with the Middle Ages," because medieval beliefs and practices underwent a dramatic shift in the Renaissance.